So Death Metal or Black metal or whatever it is...

[John_C]

Used to hate all screaming. Now i'm going to see mayhem in december

If you don't get it, you don't get it, but it doesn't mean you never will.

 

[GarethSE]

Gore lyrics, to me, are death metal's equivalent of pop lyrics. Silly boys making silly music about silly gory shit.
I've found that most of the death metal I end up listening to seems to have very poetic, well written lyrics about a variety of subject matters.

Black Metal too, is about a wide variety of different subjects. They tend to be bleaker than death metal lyrics, but the variety is still there.

But either way, what does it matter? With both of these genres, the vocals are very much used in a textural manner rather than being the purveyor of the sing along chorus.
When I listen to death metal, I'm generally not listening for the lyrics, I'm just listening to the SOUND of it all, and feeling the mood and atmosphere of it.
Stuff like Dying Fetus, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, blah blah, all that sorta stuff is definitely stuff I'd put on while I'm like, tidying up or doing the dishes or something like that, but the majority of my death metal collection is stuff that I wouldn't hesitate to call some of the finest, most beautiful works of art from any genre, school of thought or style.

If you want a film analogy, Death Metal has everything from Peter Jackson's Braindead to David Lynch's Inland Empire, don't generalize the entire genre because of one particular style of lyrics.

 

[abigor731]

I'll first say right away, I realise I'm gonna make myself unpopular here, it's just my thoughts and opinions...

Firstly... What's with all the guts and gore? Aren't you limiting yourselves some what? My band is "Ruptured Disc" this is off our album "Stubbed my toe really badly... but there's more... you can see the bone and there's blood."

Sorry, but I find it all a little silly. I wont even go in to the make-up.

I will say I have HUGE amounts of respect for the musicianship. Some truly incredibly players and the majority of recordings I've heard in this genre on here from you guys, the production values have been very high. I'm not knocking the intelligence of you guys either, I know you're all pretty clued up.

I could listen to black metal (or death, whatever the difference is) if it weren't for the stupid "singing". I'm sorry, but it's not singing, and to me it just makes me want to switch off right away. Maybe this is where there's a difference? A friend of mine played some "reeee" metal, basically a pig squealing was his description. It was the biggest pile of wank I have ever heard. Stuff like Morbid Angel and Carcass, whatever category they fall in to, although I still find the obsession with everything gorey a little silly, I'm cool with that, but still not a massive fan of the vox.

You've kinda pigeon holed yourself in to a corner haven't you? Every song has to be fast or very down tuned and it has to be about hate or gore... I don't get the appeal, sorry.

Well a lot of people here actually enjoy discussions and debates. I guess we can't all be as genius as you and your single sentence quips.

I said "discussions and debates".

This is a discussion. Well at least it will be if someone with some form of cognisance decides to post.

Have you grasped the concept of forums?

i think the problem is most people on here are probably tired of discussing that topic
your right, it's all stupid, i can't deny it
that's why i've stopped "defending" my music taste years ago
so yeah,

 

[Harry Hughes]

No, it's not singing, you're right.
They're death growls.
And personally , I never always liked death growls.
Nowadays, I'm listening to Opeth pretty much every week

 

[Lasse Lammert]

I kinda understand the singing bit, but the "problem" there is that in some metal sub genres the vocals are not fulfilling the purpose as in other musiical styles.
of course the grunting doesn't sound "beautiful", nor does it tell a story (that's what the singing usually is for), the vocals in those genres (DM etc) are more used as an instrument.
like you distort a guitar...from a classic point of view a distorted guitar doesn't sound "beautiiful", but it fulfils a certain task...be it just to give an aggressive feel.
Vocals in DM etc are very much the same, don't see it as "singing", see it as another instrument to help get a certain feeling/intention across.

 

[DanLights]

I agree with Lasse, it's simply another instrument, some bands don't even say words at all (although most do), and as Gareth said, some death metal band have brilliantly written lyrics and some simply have lyrics to fit the violence expressed in the music, not to tell a story. And for what it's worth, I have to agree with what's his name about you trolling, your post really left nothing to say, and was not open to discussion, it's just a pointless rant. You never spoke about "what do you guys think?" or "make me change my mind" or anything, sounds more like you just wanted everyone to agree and say "yeah you're right I'm gonna go back to heavy metal now, I got way too pigeonholed"

And yes, not accepting as simply calling it silly IS closing your mind, I get really really angry when people listen to it and go like "I don't know, those people should open their minds a bit and not be stuck in that forever" when it's painfully obvious how closeminded that comment is, and no you do not listen to "a little bit of everything" you fag you listen to whatever the radio gives you and have absolutely zero idea about actual musical variety.

That was not intended to you, it was a general rant

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

I'll first say right away, I realise I'm gonna make myself unpopular here, it's just my thoughts and opinions...

Firstly... What's with all the guts and gore? Aren't you limiting yourselves some what? My band is "Ruptured Disc" this is off our album "Stubbed my toe really badly... but there's more... you can see the bone and there's blood."

Sorry, but I find it all a little silly. I wont even go in to the make-up.

MOM?! GET OFF THE COMPUTER. NOW.

And send me some money, please. Love ya <3

 

[Mutant]

It is simple really:

It is like with movies - 1 man likes Gone With the Wind, 1 man likes Evil Dead 3 Army of Darkness, 1 man likes Legally Blonde, 1 man likes Night of the Living Dead.
Are horror movies silly ? Yes they are ! Are they entertaining ? For some people yes they are.

I am a musician and i enjoy good music, i try to ignore lyrics and vocals in most music i like.

Though sometimes vocals are too bad to ignore, (Dream Theater - great music and vocal style i can't fucking stand !)...

 

[DanLights]

It is simple really:

It is like with movies - 1 man likes Gone With the Wind, 1 man likes Evil Dead 3 Army of Darkness, 1 man likes Legally Blonde, 1 man likes Night of the Living Dead.
Are horror movies silly ? Yes they are ? Are they entertaining ? For some people yes they are.

I am a musician and i enjoy good music, i try to ignore lyrics and vocals in most music i like.

Though sometimes vocals are too bad to ignore, (Dream Theater - great music and vocal style i can't stand)...

+100000

Except the DT part, I really like Labrie's vocals as opposed to (so it seems) the rest of the universe

 

[drew_drummer]

How can j00 h4v3 BROOTALZ wivout g0rez??!!

 

[ratsapprentice]

How can j00 h4v3 BROOTALZ wivout g0rez??!!

Trve, it will just sound ghey without it

 

[updog]

I never always liked death growls

I had to double-check this to see what you meant

 

[updog]

and yeah, there's a world of difference between death and black metal. I personally don't like black metal that much, but I understand why people listen to it.

In my experience death metal is the most diverse genre in any musical style, with more variation than most traditional musical genres. Sometimes this is because a band plays straight up some other genre of music with distorted guitars and some guy growling, sometimes it's because they're actually doing something original.

 

[coldthrn]

Short answer, Testosterone.

There are, I'm sure, different reasons for liking death metal. What I am going to focus on is my own experience and that is with old school death metal deicide, cannibal, morbid angel. Although this can be applied to any forms of male dominated extreme music.

The reason I listen to death metal now, I view as a vestigial part of my psychology that has its origins in my adolescence. I am aware that there are many women who also enjoy this kind of music; however I find it is mostly male dominated and the male, for this reflection, is what I will focus on.

When the "ol' yoyos" drop and testosterone makes its appearance, barking, grunting, loud banging and aggressive behavior come naturally. The feeling of immortality when this secretion makes its way in the teens bloodstream leads to inquire the scary reality of mortality. Death or "danger" comes into question, with some of our brain function intact; for our survival, its limits quickly need to be set . This can become a fixation.

Music and art is a token of our sociology and individual identity. The unusual fast rhythmic pounding and unusual nature of the music beacons itself to the teen male mind just as a crow or magpie are attracted to shiny objects, to attract a mate. However, the overly aggressive and independent nature of this music can have the opposite effect of its adopted intention, thus further compounding sexual frustration leading to depression and thus serving a second purpose to become a catharsis.

Polarizing and shunning virtues for the macabre is a polarization of the act of rebellion, that also comes naturally to teens minds. Forming social groups with individuals that are, and have had the same experiences that have adopted this form of music is another compelling reason for its adoption.

Then there is the music itself. To a layman's ear these forms of music sound like noise. Incredibly fast, and seemingly random changes masks the skill, complexity and richness in this music. Only time spent listening will reveal that it isn't random and a great deal of skill and temperament went into this creation, introducing another level of apparition .

For those who realize this combination comes satire, another genre completely. This is where joke metal, pig squealing and ridiculous of the music comes to an extreme. All of these things coupled are perfect marriage for extreme forms of music regardless of their demographic.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

But either way, what does it matter? With both of these genres, the vocals are very much used in a textural manner rather than being the purveyor of the sing along chorus.
When I listen to death metal, I'm generally not listening for the lyrics, I'm just listening to the SOUND of it all, and feeling the mood and atmosphere of it.

+1 billion, the lyrics of the vast majority of the music I listen to are pretty unimportant to me; if they're good, it's icing on the cake; if they suck, I usually just totally ignore them, and in the latter case, having them be unintelligible is a good thing

FWIW, though, back when I hated growls/screams, it was In Flames' "The Jester Race" that was really my transition album to the heavier side of metal, so I'd recommend checking that out, specifically the songs "Moonshield/The Jesters Dance", "Dead Eternity", and "December Flower" (that solo like 30 seconds in, hot damn ). Then continue to bask in the amazingness of their next 4 albums, move on to Children of Bodom, Scar Symmetry, and Soilwork, and you should be hooked (minus Scar Symmetry, that was pretty much my exact progression around 8.5 years ago)

Oh, and a big +1 to Lasse, and lol at Jarkko

 

[GarethSE]

nor does it tell a story

doesn't it? :Smokin:
the vocals on ulcerate - everything is fire take me on a magical journey with being able to make out a word he says

To add to my earlier point about death metal vocals being mostly textural, I find quite often when I've been listening to a band for a while, then I buy the CD and finally check out the lyrics, I am blown away by the actual lyrical content to and only empowers the mood and feeling of the vocals even more.

Ulcerate - Everything is Fire is a prime example of this.
I had the album as an mp3 for months and months, listened to it a lot, delved into the atmosphere, never had an idea what their vocalist was talking about but got a certain feeling and mood from it, bought the CD, read the lyrics now the mood of the album is far more palpable than it ever was before.

But seriously, don't be hating on gore lyrics.

An excerpt from Gorerotted - Can't Fit Her Limbs In The Fridge...

"See through cling film wraps her up tight
Motionless sections no longer able to fight
My doting wife I tried to please her
So I hacked her up and put her in the freezer
I wouldn't let her leave me so she tried to strike out
I hit her with a hammer she was dead with one swift clout
I once used ice to gently tease her
Now it surrounds her in the freezer
Put next to lollies and packets of peas
No room in my fridge cos it's full of her (Barcardi) Breezers
I've had to keep her in the freezer"

How can you hate on shit that genius?

 

[ratsapprentice]

Some gore lyrics are good when they are done with the intention of being funny or campy, see above
Thats one of the things I love about The Bleeding, that the vocal lines such as the one below are soooo catchy, yet sooooo fucked up

"Strangulation caused her death
just like all the others
Raped before and after death
stripped, naked, tortured "

Gareth, I would have thought you'd mention Lord Worm, this line always cracks me up

Permit me to introduce you to
"Tuesday"...
I favor her, this pretty blade
So tall and fine;
Hatred and violence are not
Our ways, but firm we are;
Squirming is useless, so is this
Colon, cry for me.

 

[tarbh666]

Gorerotted are/were class. Personally I don't mind gore lyrics. I like the way Carcass used to write their gore lyrics, it was all done with humor and intelligently.

Example - Exhume to Consume

Grimly I dig up the turfs
To remove the corrupted stiffs
Trying to contain my excitement
As I desecrate graveolent crypts...
Fingers claw at coffin lids
Eager festal exhumation
Hugging your wry, festered remains
With post-humous joy and elation...
Body snatched, freshly interred
Whatever takes my fancy
To satisfy my gratuitous pica
My culinary necromancy...
Scrutinised then brutalised
My forensic inquisition is fulfiled
My recipe is now your epitaph
Be it fried, boiled or grilled...

I devour the pediculous corpse
Whetting my palate as I exhume
The festering stench of rotting flesh
Makes me drool as I consume...

Caskets I grate
My larder's a grave
I'm sickly obsessed (with the badly decomposed)
Rotten remains I eat
Purulent meat
What a funeral feast (putrid reek)

Weeping tissue is stripped
Pus dribbles from my lips
Pulverising this pustular chaff
Butchering up morgue's makes me laugh...

Ulcerated flesh I munch
Rotting corpses are my lunch
On bones I love to crunch (on the badly decomposed)
Shrivelled innards I lick
The corpse's head I kick
Crumbling shreds I pick (eat the stiffs)
[Solo: morbid melody for the deceased with salt to taste]

Rancid flesh, slaughter the dead
- Caskets exhumed...
Corpses disinterred, graves disturbed
- To consume...

Bereaved relatives are not amused
As on their dear departed I feverishly consume...

Slavering worms, decomposure burns
Corrosion born, as bacteria gnaw

Desecrate...
Precipitate....(from the muddy grave)
Macerate...
Eviscerate...

Caskets I grate
My larder's a grave
I'm sickly obsessed (with the badly decomposed)
Rotten remains I eat
Purulent meat
What a funeral feast (putrid reek)

Saponified fats, nibbled by rats
- freshly exhumed...
Deep down six feet is where I like to eat
- Human flesh to consume...

 

[GarethSE]

Gareth, I would have thought you'd mention Lord Worm, this line always cracks me up

Permit me to introduce you to
"Tuesday"...
I favor her, this pretty blade
So tall and fine;
Hatred and violence are not
Our ways, but firm we are;
Squirming is useless, so is this
Colon, cry for me.

Yeah I was meaning to mention Lord Worm, but I got too caught up in the Ulcerate analogy. Had a feeling you'd pick up the slack for me.

Poetic fucking genius though.

Here's an excerpt from Cryptopsy - Adeste Infidelis from Once Was Not (which musically broke all the rules of death metal and ended up being a piece of absolute compositional genius.)

"Oh come all ye unfaithful
Decaying and wretched
To this cradle of impiety
To lay your impure heads

Fare thee well
Or fare thee ill:
One way or another
Some blood shall spill

What to do?
Inter? Cremate all those who've died from all the hate
From this execrable aggregate
That nurtures the corrupt?

Proselytes
Anchorites
Crusaders, wet me with your cathar kiss

Bow to them?
Crawl for them
Those loathsome mahometic effigies?
No!"

 

[tarbh666]

Lord Worm is gifted. Apparently he's an English teacher, remember reading that somewhere in an interview with him just after he left Cryptopsy.